Stockholm – The Eco-smart city

Our first stop in the GEO 304 Seminar was Stockholm, Sweden. Over there, during our walking tour, I was able to discover that Stockholm plans to be climate positive by 2040. There are a number of policies that their citizens have to and are willing to follow in order to preserve the area they live in. This starts with the use of renewable energy in Sweden. Sweden is known for having the highest percentage of renewable energy sources in the European Union. 54% of Sweden’s power comes from renewables, and is helped by its geography. They have plenty of moving water and 63% forest cover so this indeed makes their two largest power sources hydropower and biomass.

In Stockholm, all the inner city buses, subways, and commuter trains run on renewable energy. The petrol that is sold in Stockholm contains only 5% ethanol. In addition to that, many residents of the city of Stockholm do not own a car. If any resident needs a car to travel for a certain amount of time, then they will rent/lease the car only for that time period. The residents find it inefficient to own a car because of the high taxes in Europe to own cars, petrol prices, and because of the cobbled streets around Stockholm. From my experience, the public transportation in Stockholm was very accessible, convenient, and safe. There were signs everywhere directing all the stops in the city as well as the routes. I never felt like I was in danger while traveling anywhere within the city.